Keeping Fido Safe: The Best Dog Safety Products Out There

Keeping your pet healthy, happy, and safe requires more than just feeding it regularly and taking it for walks. While those are vital, it is also important to care for your pet in other ways that seem may less obvious, but are equally important. Here are some of the best products available to keep your dog safe when they need it the most.

Seat Belt Tether: My husband and I have wanted to take our dog for rides in our jeep, but we’ve been afraid that our pup will jump out while the rig is in motion. Thankfully, there are now tethers that latch into the regular seatbelt and connect to the dog’s collar or harness to keep them safely inside the vehicle. Don’t try and be save a buck by rigging up your own tether–that’s how accidents happen. Utilize the buckles that your car already has, and buy a tether that will safely and securely fasten your pet inside.

Reflective Safety Vest: If you’re anything like me, your time is pretty limited, leaving you with two options: walking your dog in the low lights of early morning or in evening darkness. From my time as a runner, I’ve learned that cars don’t always see you (even when the sun is glaring overhead), making reflective gear necessary, even as it begins to get dark and you think that it probably won’t get too dark before you get home. Play it safe and wear reflective gear yourself (an arm band for your roadside arm works well enough), but don’t forget to make sure that headlights will light up your furry friend too. Get him/her a reflective vest that will illuminate most of the torso and maybe a safety light for good measure. It’s better to be too bright than sorry.

Beacon Safety Light: There are two things to keep in mind when picking these out: you’ll want the light to be bright enough for passing cars, cyclists, and pedestrians to see, but not so bright that the light will blind your dog. A light should be in addition to a reflective vest, not in place of because while the light will alert on comers that something is headed their way, a light will not illuminate a dog’s body the same way that a reflective vest will.

Cooling Jacket: Mesh and designed to reflect the sun off his back, this vest will keep your pup cool in hot weather. There is also a slightly pricier swamp cooler version which keeps the dog cool against a pouch of water inside the vest.

Dog Boots: These are designed to protect the paws even in inclement weather or on the rockiest terrain. If you are an avid hiker/adventurer, this might be something you should consider investing in. These are also great in the heat—as I found out with my own critter.

Life Preserver Vest: This is great for dogs who aren’t the strongest swimmers, or for times when they will be in deep water offshore—like on a boat in a lake.

Skamper Ramp: Even strong swimmers can have trouble finding the steps out of a pool, and canines can’t clamber out the side like we can. This ramp hitches along the side of the pool, creating an easy escape route should your dog need it.

Cindy Romero is an animal lover from North Carolina. She writes for PetPremium when she isn’t playing fetch with her two dogs or trying to keep her cat off of the kitchen counters.

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Please note: This blog is designed to be a community where pet owners can learn and share. The views expressed in each post are the opinion of the author and not necessarily endorsed by Trupanion. Always consult your veterinarian for professional advice.